Crusaders Nip Aggies To Take NCAA Crown

Holy Cross downed the Oklahoma Aggies last night, 58 to 47, to end the long reign of western teams as basketball champions of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, in the East-West finale at Madison Square Garden.

By its win, Holy Cross becomes the first eastern team over to triumph in the intersectional finale, succeeding the Oklahomans, who captured the NCAA title in both 1945 and 1946.

Second-Half Rally

The Crusaders, who gave the Crimson its first varsity hoop loss last December by a score of 61 to 40, came from behind in the second half to win, protecting their slim lead for fifteen minutes and then pulling away as the desperate Aggies fell apart in the game's closing moments.

George Kaftan, who sparked the Purple to their upset win over CCNY a few days ago, led Holy Cross to victory with 18 points. He was voted the most valuable player in the game by sports writers on the sidelines. Gerald Tucker, six-foot-four-inch center and key man of the Oklahoma defense, led the Sooners with 15 points.